Killian Donnelly to lead The Phantom of the Opera UK and Ireland tour

Killian Donnelly will the lead the UK and Ireland tour cast of The Phantom of the Opera, it has been announced.

The performer – currently playing Jean Valjean in the interational tour of Les Misérables – will play The Phantom, with Holly-Anne Hull as Christine Daaé, Rhys Whitfield as Raoul, Saori Oda as Carlotta Giudicelli, Adam Linstead as Monsieur André, Matt Harrop as Monsieur Firmin, Francesca Ellis as Madame Giry, Greg Castiglioni as Ubaldo Piangi and Ellie Young as Meg Giry. In certain performances Christine will be played by Anouk Van Laake.

The cast is completed by Brad Barnley, Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong, Corina Clark, Edward Court, Vinny Coyle, Lily De-La-Haye, Hywel Dowsell, Connor Ewing, Erin Flaherty, James Gant, Lydia Gerrard, Daniel Hall, Eilish Harmon-Beglan, Yukina Hasebe, Hettie Hobbs, Jacob Hughes, Grace Hume, James Hume, Michaela Leisk, Janet Mooney, Ian Mowat, Michael Robert-Lowe, Anna Simmons, Nikki Skinner, Anouk Van Laake, Louis Van Leer, Jasmine Wallis and Andrew York.

The show is currently celebrating its 34th year in the West End at Her Majesty's Theatre – it won three Olivier Awards and seven Tony Awards when it opened in 1986 with Michael Crawford in the role of the Phantom alongside Sarah Brightman as Christine.

Well-known songs include "The Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You", as Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical tells the story of a phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House and who is mesmerised by a young soprano called Christine.

The Phantom of the Opera will open at Leicester Curve on 22 February and run until 21 March, before visiting Manchester Palace Theatre from 26 March to 30 May, Dublin's Bord Gais Energy Theatre from 10 June to 18 July, Birmingham Hippodrome (29 July to 12 September), the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh (23 September to 31 October), Sunderland Empire (4 November to 5 December), Wales Millennium Centre (9 December to 16 January 2021) and Theatre Royal Plymouth (20 January to 20 February 2021).

Donnelly will perform in Leicester, Manchester, Dublin and Birmingham, with casting for the role from Edinburgh onwards to be announced in due course.